The Stellow Project

When a killer storm unexpectedly hits Manhattan, seventeen-year-old Lilah Stellow’s dad insists that she and her younger sister, Flori, take refuge at their cabin in the mountains. But instead of joining them with the experimental drug that keeps Lilah alive, he disappears just as news reports name him as a prime suspect in an act of ecoterrorism.
As days pass without her medicine, Lilah finds herself teetering on the edge, caring for her sister, and growing increasingly certain they’re being watched. In her search for answers, Lilah is thrown into the center of a mystery involving an off-the-grid research facility and finds herself drawn in by Daniel, an intriguing boy who is the son of the lead scientist. As she dares to seek answers, Lilah slowly realizes that even the best intentions can go horribly wrong.

The Stellow Project was a fast-paced race through a tornado that ripped apart New York city, to an insidious plot to create the perfect human. We start with Lilah, a young girl with so many health problems it’s hard to imagine her taking charge and keeping both her sister and her best friend safe. But she does, keeping them going and fed (kind of) until she runs out of her lifesaving medication. Her best friend left to go back to her family in New York, and so Lilah is left to put on a brave face for Flori. And she succeeds for some time until the lack of medication causes her to pass out, right into the arms of Daniel, the young man who works at the local hardware store.

This is where Flori starts to shine as she worries about her sister and stays brave when they are separated by hospital policies. She stays with a retired nurse, and once Lilah is allowed out of the hospital she joins Flori there as well. Things seems great for a while, all things considered: like their dad being a wanted fugitive, and that they have no choice but to stay in this strange compound or they may be separated or worse. But everything isn’t idyllic, no matter how much the people in charge want it to seem that way. Strange things are happening, and eventually Lilah investigates and finds out much more than she expected.

This book was amazing. I loved it, and I couldn’t put it down for anything. What’s that? I need to walk from the bus stop to work? I’ll just keep reading as I go… It was that good! It was a rush from start to finish, and the pacing was excellent. The writing was great, normally I can’t shut off that part of my brain that wants to edit what I read, but this time I had no problems just getting absorbed in the book. The only thing that I didn’t like was that I don’t have the sequel now. I loved Lilah and Flori, and they’re both so different and unique. It was a shock to learn some of the things that I did in this book, but it felt so natural at the same time, like of course that was the case. I don’t want to give away details, but suffice it to say that this is definitely a must read book. It should be on everyone’s summer reading list!